The retail behemoth launched its Amazon Restaurants service Tuesday in Nashville, joining competitors Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, DoorDash and more, which are all vying for market share in the booming $17 billion online food delivery sector.

“Nashville is one of the country's most up-and-coming food destinations, with popular restaurants serving classic Southern favorites as well as diverse international cuisine,” said Jerry Rapisarda, general manager of Amazon Restaurants. “Now residents and visitors can enjoy that food from the comfort of home — or wherever they are — using their Amazon account.”

Starting 8 a.m. Tuesday, Amazon Prime members can visit amazon.com/restaurants or use their Amazon or Prime Now apps to see if delivery is available to their zip code. You can browse menus, place orders and track the status of the delivery in real time.

More than 100 restaurants available on launch

Delivery fees range from $1.99 to $6.99 and customers have the option to tip their drivers, said Annette Promes, director of marketing for Amazon Restaurants. She said the food is delivered within one hour or less.

“We’re always adding new restaurants at any given point in time,” Promes said.

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Amazon Restaurants operates in more than 20 major U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, Seattle and Tampa. The company ended its restaurant delivery service in London late last year.

Food delivery companies across the U.S. are fueling consumers’ desire for convenient meals at home. With a few taps on a smartphone, people can eat what they want, when they want, without leaving the house. The industry is forecast to grow from nearly $17 billion in 2018 to more than $24 billion in 2023, according to Statista.

Delivery becoming a 'must have'

Food service delivery sales have grown 20 percent since 2012, despite overall weakness in the U.S. restaurant industry, according to The NPD Group.

“Delivery has become a need-to-have and no longer a nice-to-have in the restaurant industry,” said Warren Solochek, NPD’s senior vice president of industry relations. “Restaurants need delivery in today’s environment in order to gain and maintain share. It has become a consumer expectation.”

Also in Nashville, Amazon offers its ultra-fast Whole Foods grocery delivery service for Amazon Prime members. Those members pay $119 a year for free two-day shipping through Amazon, access to Amazon's video streaming service and other benefits.

Amazon Prime customers can take $10 off their first two orders with Amazon Restaurants with the promo code 10EAT10 at checkout. See amazon.com/save10 for more details.